Several types of thermal recovery processes have been utilized for hydrocarbon recovery from subterranean formations. Examples of thermal recovery processes include steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD), expanding solvent steam assisted gravity drainage (ES-SAGD) and cyclic steam stimulation (CSS).
Significant amounts of oil and/or heat could be left behind in the steam chamber of the subterranean formation after thermal recovery. It is desired to investigate post-thermal recovery processes that could recover and collect any remaining oil and/or heat to make the entire thermal recovery process more efficient and economical.
It has been previously proposed to inject a non-condensable gas into the steam chamber through a horizontal injector after steam injection. This method may recover some additional oil, but will not be able to produce the desired sweep efficiency. Furthermore, gas injection will not provide any heat scavenging from the steam chamber.